In which some questions are raised regarding the mechanics of identity, and of the outcome of nature versus nurture.
Bonus points to the first reader to identify the inspiration for this one… I haven’t made it hard 😉
(UPDATE) Okay, no takers… maybe I haven’t allowed enough time, but I wanted to share a great article series about my inspiration: Why Miracleman Matters. If you haven’t read Miracleman (or, as originally known, Marvelman), you need to. End of story. Of course, you may find it difficult, as covered by this link: A Legal History of Marvelman. Glad I still have my originals and all the graphic novels. 🙂
Anyway, one of the things I dislike about “re-mastered” reprints of originally black-and-white comics is the massively overdone nature of the colours. Modern colourization treatments of classics often falls flat for me. That’s always been true, and was one of the little things that struck me wrong about the Miracleman Eclipse reprints. When the tones used on the original pages in Warrior were coloured over, it resulted in a garbled, over-done look that didn’t work as well for me as the original black & white artwork. I’ve tried to replicate a bit of that feel here.
So, the real problem isn’t just that *a* Penny/Ha’Penny pair exists, but that there are in fact MULTIPLE Penny/Ha’Penny pairs. This is like an unbalanced load of laundry in the galactic spin cycle, is that what Reverend Mother Penny is driving at? Feel free to use the metaphor yourself ;).
Does RM Penny result from either or both of the other two primary continuities (Penny/Ha’Penny), or do we need to make it a three way split in all possibility? 33.3% RM Penny, missing from home but voluntarily visiting the closest associated Penny, 33.3% Ha’Penny, missing from home, trapped in a Penny fiction, 33.3% fiction where the 3-way conversation is taking place? Does it round up naturally, or is there a surprise lurikng in the missing 0.1%?
I’m using “fiction” in the way that Heinlein’s characters did in _Number of the Beast_ and later novels, meaning “an alternate universe”, in the way many would say “universe” (the Star Wars uinverse) or “continuity” (Star Trek’s reboot continuity). Considering that Heinlein’s characters literally interected with the Land of Oz (the yellow brick road one, not Australia!), with that kind of possibility open to you, it’s a valid description. Also, case in point, one is never too well-known to write fanfic. 😉
Wow! I’m honoured you think I’ve put that much thought into my little “thought experiment”! Seriously, though, I like your metaphor. To be honest, RPM is a wee bit of a MacGuffin, although she may or may not have a role to play later in the series. We shall see. Either way, exactly where she comes from is something I’m not quite ready to reveal yet. 🙂 As for any surprise in that 0.1%… Let’s just see on Friday!